A Large Gender Gap Remains in Faculty Positions at Vanderbilt University

Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee, recently released its inaugural Community Profile. The report and subsequent annual ones will provide a snapshot of the demographics of three components of the university community: students, faculty and staff. The university states that “the report will serve as a reference tool to assist and inform those working to make Vanderbilt a more diverse community, with full inclusion and equity for all.”

The report includes a wealth of information on diversity at the university. This includes data on women. Below, we list some of the facts about the status of women at the university.

• Women are 50 percent of the undergraduate students but 58 percent of the graduate students.
• Only 30 percent of the tenured or tenure-track faculty members are women.
• Women are 45 percent of the assistant professors but only 21 percent of the full professors.
• 58 percent of the university’s staff are women.